Rotating schedule gets thumbs up

 Ricky Seaman knows where he’s going.  He’s a straight A student, an excellent athlete, a popular guy.  However, on the first day of school his junior year, he was frustrated.

Seamen wrestled at the state tournament. He also qualified for the state cross country meet and track meet.

He had to wrap his methodical mind around a rotating eight class period schedule which replaced the standard seven periods. 
“I didn’t think it would work.  There was too much chaos,” he said.

 Seaman wasn’t alone in his confusion. Students and teachers reflected two major concerns.  Would the schedule ever make sense? Would there be enough time to cover the material? 

 Bible teacher Jim Hofman described his first days

 “At the beginning, it was nice to be lost with the freshmen,” said Hofman.

 Junior Emily Pedersen echoed that confusion.

 “Sometimes I forgot where I was going,” she said.

 Teacher Jamie McClain admitted that he was confused at first.

 “There were a few times when the kids started walking in,” McClain said, “and I was surprised and realized I was supposed to be there [in this class].”

 OTHER PROBLEMS ENCOUNTERED

 Another problem that became apparent early to Principal Julie Hewitt was that the same classes were being cut Friday afternoons for sporting events.

 “The problem came when we had to fit something else into the schedule…If we took off a class or day, then maybe some classes would only meet three times a week,” she said.

 The prospect of cutting classes plus the fewer minutes per day caused teachers to wonder if there would be enough class time to cover the material for a class.

 Another problem offered by Todd Seaman, industrial arts teacher, was a loss of quality for daily devotions, the initial 10 minutes of the first class each day.  

 “I wasn’t able to bring the classes into as intimate a relationship as I had when the same class met every day during the first hour,” he said.

 STUDENTS AND STAFF SAW BENEFITS

 In spite of these problems, by year’s end the students and staff approved the schedule.

 Principal Julie Hewitt said she felt it was working well by the end of the year.

 “I talked with students throughout the year… and I think once they got the hang of it, they appreciated it and enjoyed it.”

 Ethan McClain found an easy solution for knowing what class was next.

 “Every once in awhile, I would forget what class it was,” said Ethan McClain.  “But I could always ask someone.  It wasn’t a big problem.”

 Jamie McClain said he saw students work through the confusion. He told of one senior boy who was in the wrong class.

 “But it dawned on him a few minutes before the bell, and he picked up his books and left abruptly,” he said.

 As far as teachers being able to cover the material, Todd Seaman gave a good report.

 “I found no difference between the material covered this year and what I covered last year under the seven period schedule,” he said.

 Hewitt said she experienced the same result.

 “In Spanish, I got to exactly the same place as I did before,” she said.

 Hewitt said she did have to make adjustments each week to even out the classes when a set of classes would be cut.

 Ethan McClain said he felt the rearrangement worked.

 “They rotated it pretty well so that if there were athletic events that took class time…they got the classes in there…so we didn’t always have the same ones getting cut,” he said.

 REASONS FOR CHANGES

 The rotating eight schedule was implemented at Sunshine Bible Academy in the fall of 2008 due to Hewitt’s recommendation. 

Principal Julie Hewitt introduced the rotating eight schedule.

 She said she asked for the change because she understands there are certain times of the day when students learn better than at other times. 

 “Research showed that moving the time frame helped to keep things fresh and also gave every teacher an opportunity to have them {students] at a prime time,” she said.

 She had studied different models of schedules before she settled on the rotating eight. “I hadn’t actually seen this schedule where every day you drop off a class, but that came just for the fact that we have a four and a half day week.”

 Hewitt stated the second goal was to offer the extra class period so that students could add an elective course or a study hall. 

 The extra period was advantageous to students.

 “I liked actually having 1 ½ study halls each day,” Seaman said.

 Pedersen said she appreciated the extra period also.

 “There are so many classes you can take,” she said.

 Todd Seaman, industrial arts teacher, said he saw positive results with the addition of a class period.

 ”I benefited with the extra class as I was able to see students in my classes that I wouldn’t have otherwise,” he said.

Megan was just one of the girls to take the automotive class.

 FINAL ASSESSMENTS

 The rotating eight schedule will be used again for the 2009-2010 year.  Students and staff are pleased.

  “I liked it a lot…It adds a little bit to the day…you don’t get into such a routine.  There was variety in it,” said Ethan McClain.

 Emily Pedersen liked the schedule.

 “It’s more fun; it doesn’t seem so dull,” she said.

 Ricky Seaman also gave the schedule his endorsement.

 “Although I was apprehensive with the schedule at first, I grew to appreciate its benefits and usefulness,” he said. 

 As a parent, Benita Engle saw the effect on her son.

 “I would have to give it high marks…My son had a better year scholastically.”

 And after all, that’s what it’s all about.

 

 For more photos of students taking advantage of elective courses, click here.

 

Visit the following Web siets for more information on rotating schedules.

http://www.principals.org/s_nassp/sec.asp?CID=1768&DID=59457  The National Association of Secondary School Principals site lists a variety of articles on scheduling.  You must be a member of the organization to view some of the articles.

http://answers.yahoo.com/question/index;_ylt=Aikb9OfSuS6AqzEoX.m8gJ4jzKIX;_ylv=3?qid=20071217122319AAtNm0n    Student questions and answers on yahoo concerning a rotating schedule format.

http://www.eric.ed.gov/ERICWebPortal/custom/portlets/recordDetails/detailmini.jsp?_nfpb=true&_&ERICExtSearch_SearchValue_0=ED452230&ERICExtSearch_SearchType_0=no&accno=ED452230  This site contains an article that compares ACT scores to different types of scheduling.

http://www.holmdel.k12.nj.us/schools/hs/pdf/rotating_schedule_hs.pdf  An analysis of the proposed rotating schedule at Holmdel High School

 http://ascd.typepad.com/blog/2009/04/help-a-principal-get-creative-with-scheduling.html Marc Cohen, principal at Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Middle School, Germantown, MD, asks for help on his school’s rotating schedule.

http://www.sunshinebible.org    Visit Sunshine Bible Academy’s website for more information on the school.

 

 

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Helpful sites for high school journalism teachers

I have spent some time looking for useful web sites for high school journalism teachers. Here’s what I found.

The AP Stylebook website has a stylebook available for online news writing.  It also has an “Ask the Editor” column.  http://www.apstylebook.com/

The next two sites deal with the legal rights in journalism.

This site states it is an “advocate for student free-press rights” and has “information, advise and legal assistance at no charge.”  http://www.splc.org

Another site is “dedicated to free press, free speech, and free spirit for all people.” http://www.freedomforum.org

What would high school jounalism be without Tim Harrower?  He has a web site that looks full of “stuff” put together in his amusing style.  There is also a place to ask him questions.  http://www.timharrower.com

Two web sites that offer much information including lesson plans are as follows.

http://www.teach-nology.com/teachers/lesson_plans/literature/journalism   Some of the plans and projects look a bit dated, but they would still be useful.

Finally, there is the all-inclusive High School Journalism Organization.  I wish I had more time to spend searching out all of their various departments.  http://highschooljournalism.org/teachers/lesson_plans

 

News that moves you

The topic this week is news that moves you.  Some articles moved me to anger, but I decided to concentrate on articles that moved me to appreciate the freedoms we have in America and how these freedoms have been retained for us.

The first article is one announcing a second Honor Flight.  The Honor Flight is a trip which takes South Dakota World War II veterans to Washington, D.C., free of charge, so that they can visit the “new WWII National Memorial, Arlington National Cemetery, and several service branch memorials.”  The first flight occurred in May, 2009, and was a very moving experience for the veterans.  I urge you to watch the video.  I appreciated the time and money it took to put the trip together and was especially gratified to see the effect the trip had on those who attended.  I think this trip is a smal token of gratitude for all that the veterans went through during the war to fight for the freedoms we enjoy.

This story also reminded me of an article published in World magazine on May 23.  Unfortunately you cannot read the whole article on the webside unless you are a subscriber.  However, I think it is well worth the $5 one time fee as it deeply explores one veteran’s World War II experience and what he went through on the day he described, “I have no idea why I am still alive. I should have died that day.”

On a related topic is Mindy Belz’s editorial in the same issue of World, “Remember Them.” She expressed well an answer to her question concerning Memorial Day, “What draws us each Memorial Day to examine this special kind of sacrifice, this peculiar sadness?”

 

Beyond the inverted pyramid

“‘The pregnancy itself was fine,’ she recalls.  ‘But after my water broke, I wasn’t having any contractions, and they had to induce me.’  After Akers was induced, her labor was long and painful.  ‘But I never dilated past 2 centimeters,’ the 27-year-old mom from Baltic says.  After a Cesarean section, her son Jayce was born.”

“Last year, at Sanford USD Medical Center, 38 percent of the babies were delivered via C-section.  At Avera McKennan Hospital, 31 percent of the babies were delivered that way.”

These are two quotes from an article regarding cesarean births.  If you were a pregnant woman, which article would you be more likely to read?  Most likely, you would choose the first article.  Why?  Because it tells a story.  It involves the reader on the emotional level.

The inverted pyramid style of writing for news has been useful and remains so, especially in online news. However, just as in newspapers, some stories can be told better by emphasizing the entertainment or emotional side of the stories. I looked at three online articles to see how they were written and if there was a better way.

The two quotes above are taken from  an article in the Argus Leader  about the increasing number of cesarean births in Sioux Falls, S.D.  It was written in the “beyond the inverted pyramid” style. It featured a mother of four who had had a C-section with her first baby and then had to fight the system to have her second baby by natural birth. The article drew in the reader, much better than a inverted pyramid style would have. Just reporting the statistics would have produced a dull story.

The next article which was about Wal-Mart gaining Target’s customers was well written in the inverted pyramid style. It stuck to the form, giving the reader the important facts first, then going into market share, Target’s plans, etc. However, I think the author could have approached it from  another angle. He could have found a family that was representative of the customers who had switched and written from the family’sperspective. This would have made it more personal and perhaps encouraged more readers. The story also would have given him a reference point for the future to report whether  Target is able to regain their customers when the economy improves.

An article about the launch of the space shuttle Endeavour was also written in the inverted pyramid style, which was the appropriate way.  As a reader, I wanted to know who-what-when. The article had several links, one of which was a video featuring the astronauts. This added the feature side of the story. There was also a video of the actual launch. I think this article with videos and links was well done.

 

The Inverted Pyramid

The inverted pyramid style of writing news articles has been a staple of print journalism. How does the style translate to online news? I investigated and found three articles which I think are representative of current use of the inverted pyramid. Two of the three articles I read made good use of the inverted pyramid. One did not.

I first read a short article about South Dakota Congresswoman Stephanie Herseth Sandlin’s announcement that she is going to run for re-election to the United States House of Representatives in 2010. The first paragraph stated this who-what-when. The second paragraph quoted Sandlin and included her reasons for running again. Thus the reader had the important information in very few words. The article then included a small amount of information on her present duties and concluded with some family information, all secondary to the main point of the article.

The next article was about President Obama’s statement that a second stimulus bill might be needed. The theme of the article was readily apparent as the reaction by Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid was a sub-heading, then was repeated in the second paragraph. He is strongly against another bill. The rest of the article included quotations from the president, along with more negative coverage on the proposal. The writers used the inverted pyramid to highligh Reid’s position.  The president’s position was included, but not until later paragraphs. I do not agree with the writers that Reid’s reaction was the most important way to present the story. Although I agree with his opinion, I think the article should have focused more on the president’s statement and reasons.

The third article I read used the inverted pyramid poorly. The article was about a project to renovate an old building in a small town in South Dakota. First of all, the lead was confusing.

“A wind power wunderkind is waking up the echoes again on a dormant and decaying campus that once gave vision to the blind.”

What did he say? It wasn’t until the third paragraph that the reader could read the who-what-where-when. The article continued by giving the history of the building. Then it returned to the renovation process and the owner’s restoration of a nearby lake. I would have liked all of the information on the renovation and restoration closer to the beginning of the article. The writer’s theme became evident, the history of the building as well as the renovation, however, the article seemed disjointed.

 

An Inspiring Story

Many people have a story to tell as to why they are at their present jobs. Peggy Stacey is no exception, and her story may be inspiring to others. Stacey accepted a teaching position at Sunshine Bible Academy near Miller, SD, for the 2004-2005 school year, and has had no regrets.

But what brought a newly widowed grandmother of eleven west to a high school on the high prairie of South Dakota? To a community isolated from the larger towns she had lived in? To a profession she had set aside some years before in order to raise her family?

She answered those questions with a simple word: “God.”

In 2002, Stacey and her husband, a pastor, were living near Brookings, SD, when she was diagnosed with breast cancer. Going through breast cancer surgery was tough, but just as she was beginning six weeks of radiation treatment, tough times really began–her husband of 33 years died unexpectedly. Months later, as the fog of grief began to lift, she started asking God what He would have her do now.

Her first ministry had been her husband, then the church he served. Now she had neither. How would He have her fill that gap and become useful again?

During long walks and talks with God, Stacey said He answered her in a quiet but persistent voice: “Renew your teaching license. I know you haven’t taught for a number of years. But I will use you.”

Stacey took about a year to obtain the needed credits. When she had the license, she began looking for a position. She knew she wanted to teach at a Christian school.

“My faith is so important to me; I wanted to work where I could share it with others every day.”

God had in mind the school and community, Sunshine Bible Academy. As she spent hours packing up her house, finishing her work at a local bank, saying goodbye to friends, she had no doubts that she was making the right choice.

At SBA Stacey teaches freshman, sophomore, and junior English. She has also re-established the oral interpretation and one act play extra-curricular activities which had been discontinued for several years due to lack of a coach. She said the oral interp program has had some success in the last five years. During three of those years, students advanced to the state competition where two entries have earned superior ratings. The one act play has advanced to the South Dakota State Festival for the last two years. Stacey is looking forward to the coming school year; she has already chosen the one act play. 

The short video below is from the one act play which was performed at the State Festival in February, 2008.

 

Online Interviews

Interviewing styles are as varied as the people interviewed.  I searched for different styles of interviewing which were posted online and came up with three which I thought showed a range of styles.

The first interview I read was on the Glenn Beck website; however it was conducted by Judge Andrew Napolitano as the guest host.  He interviewed Utah Rep. Jason Chaffetz on Chaffetz’s proposal regarding having the U.S. Post Office personnel conduct the 2010 census.  I found the interview informative as Napolitano asked questions which gave Chaffetz the opportunity to lay out his plan, to discuss the pros, and to discuss the cons of some proposals also being made.  The posted interview was brief enough and yet gave the link to watch the interview if the reader wished.  The interview was limited in that it was evident Napolitano was sympthetic with Chaffetz’s proposal and no opposition was voiced; thus it was very one-sided. 

In contrast to that, an interview by Bill O’Reilly with Rep. Barney Frank posted  just excerpts, with punctuation marks indicating left-out conversation.  The two men were obviously at odds over the issues O’Reilly brought up; however, since video wasn’t available, one couldn’t see the body language of either.  The interview did not have a lot of “meat” as O’Reilly would ask the questions in a challenging way, and Frank spent most of his answer disagreeing with O’Reilly’s asumptions. 

 A third interview which contrasts both of the above goes back to one of my favorite subjects: Susan Boyle.  The interviewer was gentle with her, asking questions with a quiet voice and giving her time to answer.  The interview was on video, showing Boyle most of the time, but adding segments of her first performance on “Brittain’s Got Talent.”  This combination was entertaining as it showed Boyle in her own environment and allowed the reader to see a bit of the “real” Boyle. Plus, by flashing to her performance, it allowed the reader to relive Boyle’s first victory.  Since U.S. news outlets are not as enthralled by Boyle as Brittain’s outlets, posting the interview online allows followers to keep informed.

 Budding journalists would do well to read or view all three of the above interviews to get a wide perspective of the styles.  Each style has its place, and students could see that they need to not only prepare for the content of the interview, but also decide their purpose and style.

 

Advantages of Online Publishing

The advantages of publishing online are being seen in a real way right now in Iran. Americans are being kept informed by citizen journalists. The government has forbidden foreign journalists from leaving their hotel rooms and from taking any picutres or videos of the protests. Fox News has explored the information coming out on the web in their article on Tuesday’s (June 16) web.
There are various other advantages of publishing online which are being shown by the Iranian situation. One would be the ability to post news immediately, even as it is happening. Another advantage is the ability for ordinary people to interact. In Iran, bloggers and twitterers are helping each other in various ways. The Fox site also has links to pictures and videos of the events. Readers around the world are able to access the information coming from Iran via the web.
This situation also brings up some disadvantages of online publishing. Right now it is not possible to verify some of the information being posted. One has to read with some scepticism until events can be verified.
Other disadvantages not necessarily evident from the Iranian situation would be that the reporters/writers also have to have the visual and audio/video aspects of an issue in mind. They no longer can be just writers. Editors with convergence news organizations cannot just use a story for print in the same form. It must be rewritten for online. It must be broken up into small, organized segments. And the lead and graphics need to be eye-catching.
At present, my school does not use online publishing in an effective way. I can see the advantage of teaching my students the how and the why. Publishing our news online would allow us to reach our audience (many of the students’ parents) in a much more timely manner. We could include video clips of last night’s game, complete with any short interviews with the coach or players. I don’t believe it would take long for our audience to become addicted to looking at our web site daily to see what is happening.
A great source for current student newspapers online is http://my.hsj.org. It is easy to access newspapers from every state in the U.S.

 

Values in Journalism

This 21st Century is experiencing a time of change in the way news is presented to Americans. Many charges of bias have been leveled at the mainstream news media in regards to the most recent Presidential campaign The charges continue, including the most recent incidents of the shooting deaths of Dr. Tiller and Private William Long, where the former was covered extensively by the mainstream media, the latter was virtually ignored. So where does one go for news? What values does one use either consciously or unconsciously when looking for news?
The authors of Telling the Story state that “But there are two questions every responsible journalist should ask about every story before being satisfied: Is it accurate? Is it fair?” (11).
I believe that consumers of news should also ask those questions when reading or listening to news. Are both sides of the issue being presented? Or, on a broader scale, does the media outlet report on a balanced number of stories, not heavily reporting on stories that show one ideology and not another? If I believe one source is not being balanced, I will search for other sources.
As a journalism educator, I would very much like to encourage my students to search the news outlets for balanced coverage. At present, I am unsure of any specific values my students would use to look for a news source. Many would glance casually at the headlines of a newspaper lying in the library or at home. If a headline or picture grabbed their attention, they may read further.
If time permitted, I would like to include a unit on news’ sources, what to look for, where to find it. As for finding articles or sources that would appeal to my students, I’m sure that many would appreciate the sports coverage in sites such as USA Today (http://www.usatoday.com/sports/basketball/nba/lakers/2009-06-10-phil-jackson-cover_N.htm).
Reviews of movies and games could be found at http://www.pluggedinonline.com/. And an article showing how they might make a difference in the world could be found at http://www.briomag.com/ (“Krochet Kids”).